Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Sunday, February 12, 2012

I did it! Got the bangs cut yesterday! I was quite nervous when go-time came, but I overcame my fear and let the hair pro work her magic. Incidentally, I had to go to a new hairdresser because my tried-and-true gal moved on. So I went with another stylist that the salon told me had a "similar style" and I was blown away! She did just as amazing a job and I will definitely be going back to her.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Treasure hunting at Goodwill is one of my new favorite Saturday rituals. A few weeks ago, I found this lamp and shade combo that were functionally perfect, but kind of blah to look at.

I bought some gray spray paint and painted the base. Then my friend Heather helped me make a shade template and cut out a piece of fabric using that template. I don't have good photos for the process right now, but I plan to make another lampshade and I promise I will document the process better and post it on the blog. I was a little nervous about getting the whole thing right and didn't think to take photos! Anyway, this is the semi-finished product:

Why only semi-finished, you ask? Well, I'll show you why:

Arghhhhh! I left too much fabric folded under and it showed through when the lamp was on. It bothered me to no end, but I had that feeling when you finish a first-time project that's taken a long time: I just want to be done with it! So I didn't do anything to fix it right away. But it bugged me so much that I never turned the lamp on; I just let it sit on the table like it was a knick-knack with no function. And I'm not too much of a knick-knack girl. So this morning I decided to make the fix. I ran hot glue around the very inside of the roll that goes along the inside of the shade, then secured the fabric to the glue. When it was stuck really well, I went along the entire shade and trimmed down all of the excess. The result?

I think one of the toughest parts about DIY projects is that they don't always come out how you had envisioned them. It can be a little defeating, but I saw this lovely poster the other day on Pinterest and thought it was pretty apropos:

This saying rang true with me because I've been working on re-doing a lamp and lampshade for a lot longer than it really should be taking me. It just didn't come out quite as I was hoping and so I tabled the project for a while to make a decision: do I leave it looking subpar and move on to the next thing, getting better with each project, or do I continue to work on it until it meets my standards? After a few weeks of putting it off, I decided to make the fix. And I have to say I'm happy I did. Check out my next post to see the results of my efforts.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Haircut time! I love getting my hair done. Getting pampered, walking out feeling like a new person. Such a great experience! I've had a variety of hair lengths in my lifetime, but I'm currently rocking a between-shoulder-and-chin-length bob that I really love. It's short enough that I can straighten my unruly, wavy hair in a reasonable amount of time, but long enough that cashiers don't call me sir when I'm checking out at a store (I'm really, really tall...). Anyway, I like the bob, but I need something more. I've noticed some really awesome piecey bangs popping up lately that I can only describe as "pixie" bangs. I found a few pics of what I'm talking about, but most of them are attached to boy-short pixie cuts. I'm not going there. Just the bangs, ma'am.

I want them. Bangs can be scary because sometimes they look simply atrocious, but I'm going to risk it. It's only hair after all...

Thursday, February 2, 2012

I'm beginning a journey, folks. That's right. A journey to a place where I am a DIY whiz kid who creates things that are cool and interesting. A journey along which I will actually make some of the things that I collect on my Pinterest boards, instead of spending hours upon hours adding to said Pinterest boards. I chose to embark on this wondrous odyssey by spending more time perusing the Internet and picking out the tools that I want need in order to get started.

Let me know what you think, and especially let me know if you have experience with these tools or better versions!

*Note: The following choices were made based on the fact that Chris and I currently have a small collection of power tools that includes a circular saw, a drill, a Dremel, and an ancient non-functional sander.*

Sander

I really want a sander. Like, really really. I need one so I can get my creativity on and begin the long list of projects on my DIY to-do list. This one got good reviews and looks sturdy. It's kind of expensive relative to other sanders, but the cost isn't as prohibitive as that of the paint sprayer below. I know DeWalt is a respected brand and I figure it's important to have a good one, especially if Chris and I are gonna make this bad boy (Splinter butt? No thanks).

DeWalt D26453K Random Orbit Sander~$62 www.amazon.com

Stud FinderOur kitchen and great room/den/living room (whatever it's called these days) is covered in gorgeous pine panelling that I absolutely love. The only thing that's not simply amazing about this feature of our home is that it's nearly impossible to locate a stud under the panelling with our stupid, crappy stud finder. So I did some research and, apparently, the old-school magnetic stud finders are the way to go. And they're so cheap! I'm going to order this one right away because it's such a steal and it got great reviews. Look out kitchen wall; you're about to get your very own pot-hanger!

C.H. Hanson Magnetic Stud Finder
~$10 www.amazon.com

Paint Sprayer

This paint sprayer is pricey. In fact, I know I won't be buying it any time soon because it's so expensive. But I read tons of reviews for paint sprayers and it seems like they can really suck a lot if you try to go cheap. All of the models under $100 got terrible reviews and I want one that's going to work and make my projects look somewhat professional.

Graco TrueCoat Paint Sprayer
~$200 www.lowes.com

Reciprocating Saw

Another tool that I think will come in so handy? A reciprocating saw. It just seems like a universally useful tool. Prices on these guys are all over the map, but this one got good reviews and is relatively affordable.